The Year in Reviews 2014
by Mark Donlan
Our last review of 2014 is a look back at some of the reviews that have appeared at ChessCafe.com during the past year. If you wish to look back even further, ChessCafe.com has more than 970 reviews in our Book Review Archives. ChessCafe.com members enjoy access to the Checkpoint column in which IM Jim Rizzitano reviews the newest opening books and more. Also, be sure to vote next week in the first round of the 2014 ChessCafe.com Book of the Year award!
Certainly for players who do not fully grasp the meaning of terms such as skewer, pin, fork, discovered attack, and the like, Winning Chess is a wonderful resource to bring the budding player to a much greater appreciation of the game. But also for intermediate players who all too often fall victim to these tactical maneuvers, or who realize in postmortems the many attacking threats they overlooked, this should be a book to consider. It will bring many hours of instruction and enjoyment, and likely a few rating points as well. – Steve Goldberg on Winning Chess, by Irving Chernev
Aron Nimzowitsch 1928-1935 is a great collection. It is well worth your time, and you will likely find this more entertaining and instructive than many modern-day publications. – Michael McGuerty on Aron Nimzowitsch 1928-1935: Annotated Games & Essays, edited by Rudolf Reinhardt
If FM Levin’s goal was to write a groundbreaking work, then he certainly accomplished that! Position and Pawn Tension in Chess is an excellent resource for the average club player (say, rated 1200-1800). – Chris Wainscott on Position and Pawn Tension in Chess, by David Levin
Chess Superminiatures is a lighthearted book, but that does not mean it should be taken lightly. The games are instructive in that a strong player went wrong and was defeated in a short number of moves. The reader can learn from that; and learn how to do it by recognizing the factors that went into it. It takes tactical awareness to punish such mistakes, and playing through these games will help hone your intuition for such elements. The author could have done more to point these things out, but he keeps to a whimsical tone. The target audience of improvers and club players can have some fun on the go with this title. – Mark Donlan on Chess Superminiatures, by Nick Pelling
Tactics Time is right on the mark for its intended audience, say, for players rated up to 1200 or so. I gave a sampling of these positions to my students in this rating range and not one was able to score 100%. In fact an 800 rated player said these positions “enrage” him, since he was often able to find a second-rate move, which would win in a tournament, but was not the best. So, the fact that such players are sometimes frustrated by these examples seems to make this a perfect fit for them to improve their tactical skill. – James E. DuBois on Tactics Time, by Tim Brennan and Anthea Carson
GM Müller has done a great job on this DVD and the series as a whole. I find the series to be one of the best produced works on studying the endgame in any format. Careful and repeated viewing of these disks cannot help but improve the viewer’s game, and Golden Guidelines is an excellent way to wrap up the series. You may not be likely to play a game tomorrow in which you have to find the drawing zone in a Q vs. Q+P endgame, but when you do you will have a much better understanding of how to win or defend such endings. – Chris Wainscott on Chess Endgames 14: The Golden Guidelines of Endgame Play, by Karsten Müller
Overall, this is a delightful, humorous book likely to be fun for the average club player. While many chess authors may state that their productions are unique and stand apart from all others, what “Mr. Once” has published truly fits this description. – Steve Goldberg on Once Upon a Chess Game, by Will Once
The advantages of having the material in electronic format are numerous… Those looking for serious and focused study material available in multiple formats will appreciate the option of getting Dvoretsky’s material in electronic format. Recommended. – John Donaldson on The Instructor #160 (Ebook) by Mark Dvoretsky
Beyond the chess related anecdotes, Soltis explores the political intrigues of the times and the behind-the-scenes machinations of the Soviet era. His book is illuminating, but its light does not shine very far. Today, when even minor masters are subjects of expansive tomes from the very same publisher, 274 pages devoted to Mikhail Botvinnik is rather exiguous. – Brian Almedia on Mikhail Botvinnik: The Life and Games of a World Chess Champion, by Andy Soltis
I cannot wait to see future volumes in this series. This DVD is useful for almost any rating range, from 500-2500. It is a tool that can be used time and again as additional information will be gleaned from multiple viewings and as the viewer’s rating increases. For the first time I am rating a product with six out of six stars. – Chris Wainscott on Master Class Vol. 01: Bobby Fischer, by Dorian Rogozenco
Mastering Endgame Strategy can be read independently of its companion volumes, yet if you enjoy the author’s approach here, you will likely find the other volumes of interest. It is primarily designed for studious improvers, but would also prove to be an excellent resource for chess teachers and trainers. It is as if he has done the hard work of compiling and explaining the examples for you! – Michael McGuerty on Mastering Endgame Strategy, by Johan Hellsten
The target audience for this app, while implicitly is from beginner to, say, 1800 or so, should really be for players rated in the 1400-1800 range. The interactive lessons were somewhat useful, whereas the rest of the app missed the mark. Nevertheless, it serves as a pleasant distraction if you want to briefly look at chess related content for a few minutes here and there throughout your day. – Chris Wainscott on Mchess App, Metropolitan Chess
Finding Chess Jewels is a terrific collection of challenging, yet accessible, exercises that is sure to expand your awareness of the possibilities inherent in a position and leave you awestruck at the depth and wonder of this grand game. As Krasenkow asserts, “you will enjoy every exercise, whether you find its solution or have to look back after seemingly fruitless efforts.” – Michael McGuerty on Finding Chess Jewels, by Michal Krasenkow
According to the program publisher, the target audience for Play Like Lasker appears to be club players rated roughly 1800 and above. In my opinion, lower rated players can also benefit from the games collection and Practice problems, but those rated around 1600 or so and higher will certainly be better suited to absorb the instructional material in this program. – Steve Goldberg on Play Like Lasker, by ChessOK
The quality of the annotations are great (thorough without seeming overly exhaustive) as is the fact that the annotations are verbal as well as variational. IM Pritchett also did a terrific job of making this book accessible to players of all levels, from beginner to master. – Chris Wainscott on Chess Secrets: Great Chess Romantics, by Craig Pritchett
Of course, once you become familiar with how to use the Peshka program, the issues mentioned above are no longer such a nuisance and you can focus on enjoying the annotated games and puzzles. It would be nice if you did not have to be Sherlock Holmes in order to navigate the content, yet Play Like Botvinnik is still a worthy resource – and its free. – Mark Donlan on Play Like Botvinnik by ChessOK
Overall, my impression of this program is favorable. While I was frustrated at first, once I had the program installed it became a rather useful tool. A user may experience some minor issues, but there is much to be gained in return. I got a lot out of this course in the end: I was able to pick up on tactical themes in an opening I play. Even so, the tactical exercises are useful in and of themselves, even if you do not employ the Slav Defense in your repertoire. – Chris Wainscott on Chess Tactics in Slav Defense, by ChessOK
Carlsen’s Assault on the Throne has much to recommend: insider commentary, deep analysis, and full-color photographs, almost everything you could ask for in a tournament book. Let’s hope we see many more like it in the future! – Brian Almeida on Carlsen’s Assault on the Throne, by Vassilios Kotronias & Sotiris Logothetis
The reader at times may feel like a grandchild hearing from a dear grandfather about the “good old days” and the glorious exploits of times past. Though I happen to enjoy that, and I think many readers will as well. The many annotated games and the old scrapbook clippings just add to the appeal. – Steve Goldberg on 40 Years of Friendship, 100 Games of Chess, by Wayne Conover, Steve Pozarek, and Gene Salomon
Overall, I enjoyed using the Forward Chess App and reading GM Fabrego’s book. I likely will only use this app when looking to kill a few minutes here and there. However, this has more to do with my personal preferences than anything else. I encourage anyone to download this app and True Lies in Chess to see for yourself. – Chris Wainscott on Forward Chess App, Forward Chess
The Benko Gambit: Move by Move offers a thorough grounding in the themes of the Benko Gambit and should leave the reader well prepared for anything that comes along, including all those fourth move alternatives. – Michael McGuerty on The Benko Gambit: Move by Move, by Junior Tay
Karolyi has done a nice job of selecting interesting games by Tal, and his annotations can work well for a wide spectrum of readers. Intermediate level players can gain from his basic commentary, while more advanced players will enjoy reviewing his extensive analysis trees, which will also help to illuminate the immense difficulties that Tal presented to his opponents. I was disappointed that there were no photos included in the book, except for the front and back cover. I hope that this will be rectified in volumes two and three. Mikhail Tal’s Best Games 1 will be an enjoyable and informative addition to any serious player’s library. – Steve Goldberg on Mikhail Tal’s Best Games 1: 1949-1959, by Tibor Karolyi
As for the content of Mating the Castled King, GM Gormally has truly outdone himself. The examples are instructive, the explanations clear, and the flow of the book is well thought out. It is a modern-day masterpiece. – Chris Wainscott on Mating the Castled King, by Danny Gormally
Overall, Openings for Amateurs is a great book with much to recommend it. – Michael Goeller on Openings for Amateurs, by Pete Tamburro
I found Nunn’s writing to be illuminating and clear, and informative and entertaining. Anyone who devotes the time and effort to work through these games, absorbing Nunn’s comments and working through his variations, will be amply rewarded. – Steve Goldberg on John Nunn’s Chess Course, by John Nunn
A quick count of my bookshelf shows that I own seven other MBM books, including the three player-specific volumes on Capablanca, Kramnik, and Botvinnik, and Korchnoi Move by Move is just as solid as the previous titles. Everyman Chess has done a good job of publishing a line of books that are accessible and of practical value to the majority of chess players, whether they are looking to improve or simply for something to enjoy. – Chris Wainscott on Korchnoi Move by Move, by Cyrus Lakdawala
The author has done an excellent job in fulfilling his aim of providing a basic course for training more advanced players in the principles and subtleties of positional understanding. The prospective buyer of this book might choose to compare Yaroslav Srokovksi’s work with that of other recent works, such as Techniques of Positional Play by Valeri Bronznik & Anatoli Terekhin (New In Chess 2013), which appears to adopt a similar pedagogical approach. Nevertheless, for concise, logical organization and accurate analysis one will not go wrong by purchasing a copy of Chess Training for Post-beginners. It will provide sufficient material for months of productive study. – Stephen Munroe on Chess Training for Post-beginners: A Basic Course in Positional Understanding, by Yaroslav Srokovski
Once upon a time tournament books were produced for almost every major event, yet it seems that the days of the tournament book are all but dead and gone now, so this publication comes as quite a breath of fresh air. It also harkens back to the days when a bulletin was published after each round of play in major events. Those have become an important part of chess history and I can only hope that these do the same. – Chris Wainscott on Chess Insider: Gashimov Memorial, by Chessdom
The publisher suggests Bobby Fischer: 11th World Champion is suitable for players rated between 1700 and 2300, but this is a very broad range. I suggest players between about 1400 and 1800 might most appreciate this software. – Steve Goldberg on Bobby Fischer: 11th World Champion, by ChessOK
Overall, this is a very exciting book. And while I might wish it had a more inspired introduction, maybe a better cover (Why lettering in all caps and dark against a dark background? And what is the cover image supposed to represent?), and one or two different sub-variations in the repertoire, Modernized: The King’s Indian Defense is a very sturdy and well-analyzed opening book – one that would be useful for players at all levels. – Michael Goeller on Modernized: The King’s Indian Defense, by Dejan Bojkov
Even though the Peshka interface has its shortcomings, Mikhail Tal: 8th World Champion is a bargain when you consider how many annotated games you get and the comparative cost if this were published on paper. – Michael McGuerty on Mikhail Tal: 8th World Champion by ChessOK
The Chess Insider series is immediately intuitive and easy to navigate. There is no software to learn: just the PDF files to view or the database files to play through. I highly recommend Chess Insider: Norway Chess 2014 to all players past the beginner stage and eagerly look forward to their coverage of the second Carlsen-Anand match. – Steve Goldberg on Chess Insider: Norway Chess 2014, by Chessdom
Van Perlo’s Endgame Tactics remains a terrific book that absolutely anyone can benefit from and enjoy. The prose is witty and instructive; the examples are well-chosen and delightful; and the new material is just icing on the cake. Owners of previous editions will be remiss if they do not purchase the new expanded edition. – Michael McGuerty on Van Perlo’s Endgame Tactics, Expanded Edition, by G. C. van Perlo
Mannheim 1914 and the Interned Russians is a massive undertaking of historical research and compilation. Gillam writes that he wished to publish the entire collection of games along with as much of the story as he could unearth – he just did not realize how much there was to find! This is a book that you will pick up and browse, become absorbed by a certain story or game or item, and then return to again and again to plumb its many treasures. – Brian Almeida on Mannheim 1914 and the Interned Russians, by Anthony Gillam
The examples demonstrate the importance of accurate calculation when conducting an attack. It is often not enough to just pick an obvious move, you need to see where it leads so there is not a nasty shock waiting for you at the end of a variation. Eggleston’s analysis is deep, but it is still comprehensible to the average player, and it is supported by plenty of verbal commentary. I enjoyed working through these games – over-the-board – and learned that a properly implemented initiative can deliver your opponent’s head. Calculation and analysis goes a long way, and it is not as hard as you might think. Happy hacking! – Wanda Peabody on Hacking Up The King, by David Eggleston
Examining the author’s goals (provided at the beginning of this review), I would suggest that he has been successful with three of his four goals. While I would not recommend this book for the rank novice first trying to learn the game, it is perfectly suitable for the player who already knows how the pieces move and can read chess notation, but is pretty much lost otherwise. – Steve Goldberg on The Batsford Book of Chess: From Beginner to Winner, by Sean Marsh
The tried-and-true method of chess improvement is to play over well-annotated master games, and Test Your Chess provides an excellent and instructive means to that end. Readers who take the time to complete each lesson will surely see the results, be it greater tactical awareness, deeper positional knowledge, or more confidence in the endgame. – Michael McGuerty on Test Your Chess, by Zenon Franco
In final analysis, I think most players will enjoy the set of twenty problems in each volume. – Steve Goldberg on Yelena Dembo’s Chess Quiz, by Yelena Dembo
The book has already made the short list for the English Chess Federation’s 2014 book of the Year. Enjoy your journey on the road to chess mastery with the games of “Iron Tigran” and Thomas Engqvist as your GPS guide. – Michael Ciamarra on Petrosian: Move by Move, by IM Thomas Engqvist
For those unfamiliar with the first edition, this second edition of the Improving Chess Thinker will provide a very different perspective on chess playing than that offered by other books. In this revised and expanded edition new protocols have been added and older ones edited for clarity. This book will be most interesting and useful for players below the expert level who have a few years of practical experience and some exposure to chess theory. One group of players for whom this book will prove especially valuable (some may regard it as essential!) includes those who teach or coach chess at the high school or elementary school level. Dan Heisman is an accomplished instructor and a careful student of the game. This book represents a concise summary of the lessons he has learned himself and those he has taught his students over many years. – Stephen Munroe on The Improving Chess Thinker, Second Edition, by Dan Heisman
Chess Progress: From Beginner to Winner is the kind of book I wish had as a beginner. It brought back some of the excitement I remember experiencing with every new simple insight I gained much more laboriously. – Steve Goldberg on Chess Progress: From Beginner to Winner, by Erik Czerwin
Larsen was truly a cosmopolitan character. He lived everywhere, and toward the middle of his life he moved to Argentina because of his second wife. He shares many nice anecdotes, and compelling insights. For example, Larsen describes how Bronstein lost against him, and how that loss signified the moment when Bronstein was unable to compete at the top level for becoming one of the world champion contenders. It illustrates just how hard a sport chess really is, and how much psychology is part of the game, especially at the top level. – Davide Nastasio on Bent Larsen’s Best Games, by Bent Larsen
It is unclear whether this is a straight reprint of the 1989 edition or whether new material has been added. Nonetheless, Johannes Zukertort: Artist of the Chessboard is a terrific collection of games; many of which are still not even in database collections such as the ChessBase MegaBase. The average player can learn much from playing over these romantic examples; even more than from modern games. All in all, a very worthy effort that is deserving of your time and attention! – Michael McGuerty on Johannes Zukertort: Artist of the Chessboard, by Jimmy Adams
FM Giddins did a reasonable job of making Nimzowitsch more accessible to players like myself who had limited knowledge of the German master. – Chris Wainscott on Nimzowitsch: Move by Move, by Steve Giddins
Were this book being published today the reader might expect more diagrams and a little more clarity between the game moves and variations. Ostensibly, ChessCafe asked me to review this title because during the month of November it is being offered in their shop with signed bookplates from Tim Harding. The Games of the World Correspondence Chess Championships 1-X stands on its own as a wonderful compilation to own, but this extra incentive makes it all the more worthwhile. – Brian Almeida on The Games of the World Correspondence Chess Championships 1-X, edited by Tim Harding
Anand: Move by Move takes this series to a challenging new level that is sure to test and expand the capabilities of the average reader. If you approach the material in a serious and diligent manner, then working your way through this title is almost guaranteed to raise the level of your play. – Michael McGuerty on Anand: Move by Move, Zenon Franco
One of the surest ways to improve is to study well annotated games of the great players. Carlsen: Move by Move provides the opportunity to do just that, with Lakdawala doing his best to keep things fun and entertaining along the way. – Michael McGuerty on Carlsen: Move by Move, Cyrus Lakdawala
As can be seen the English is passable, and sometimes unintentionally humorous, but there are numerous weaknesses with Chess Insider: Sochi 2014 including its price. At almost the cost of a complete book, it offers very little in comparison to similarly priced titles. More value needs to be added to make this an attractive product. – Michael McGuerty on Chess Insider: Sochi 2014, by Chessdom
There can only be one reaction to all this content. Wow! Just Wow! The trouble is finding the time to get through it all. It would be nice if the content were accessible via the ChessBase App on the iPhone or iPad, because then the user would have a greater number of viewing options. I am more likely to just select one or two particular issues per year for purchase rather than subscribe to every issue, which I know I could never keep up with. Nevertheless, ChessBase Magazine is an extraordinary product. – Brian Almeida on ChessBase Magazine #162, edited by Rainer Knaak
A Game of Queens is more forthcoming than many other chess biographies, and therefore more interesting as well. Along with deep analysis of great games, Polgar shares her thoughts, opinions, and feelings on a wide variety of topics. There are many photographs throughout the book, too, not just the obligatory across-the-board, facing-the-opponent pictures, but private shots that allow the reader to feel as if they have gotten to know her on a personal level. In this respect these books are much better than the Kasparov autobiographical series. It is a shame that she stopped at only three volumes. – Brian Almeida on A Game of Queens, by Judit Polgar
New In Chess magazine is so engrossing that I wish I could take the day off whenever it arrives to savor the issue from cover to cover. Article after article is enthralling reading. The tournament reports transport you to the event so much so that you feel you are in attendance; Nigel Short’s editorials, occasionally controversial, provide an inside look into the, often corrupt, machinations of the chess world; and having the best players on the planet annotate their own games is just icing on the cake. If you don’t subscribe at least do yourself the favor of picking up an issue now and then. – Mark Donlan on New In Chess 2014/6, edited by Dirk Jan Ten Geuzendam
All previous reviews are available in the ChessCafe.com Archives. ChessCafe.com members enjoy access to the Checkpoint column in which IM Jim Rizzitano reviews the newest opening books and more. Also, be sure to vote next week in the first round of the 2014 ChessCafe.com Book of the Year award!
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